I have a star named Gremhog in the lovely galaxy. This blog will be dedicated to the stars in my life...the ones known and the ones yet to be discovered.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

end of May

Today marks the 40th year since I graduated from Brigham Young University. And tomorrow is our for-real 40th wedding anniversary (yes, stupid me, we got married one day after I graduated). We will celebrate today by going to DaDonna's for dinner and then to the Hannah theater in Playhouse Square, Cleveland, to see Sondheim on Sondheim. Am really looking forward to the show and having it held at the Hannah Theater is an added treat.

We have tried to think of something to do to celebrate this landmark anniversary. A cruise keeps popping up but we have no passports. But I heard today how cheap they are so that might just pan out for us. Otherwise, there's always Colonial Williamsburg. I love that place but Robert has never been. Last week at some point, Robert commented that he had always wanted a beehive for his home. I naturally thought 'decor' and began a search with my ever faithful, helpful daughter Dawn. Then just as I was going to purchase one, I gasped...and realized Robert might have meant REAL. So I asked if he ever wanted to raise bees and he said yes. But when I checked online, he needs to take a class so that might something for him to look forward to when he retires.

So until then, he get this:

It actually can hold his garden hose but it can also just be a reminder of how he's always as busy as a bee!

PS...THIS IS AN ADDITION TO THE ORIGINAL POST. As we drove out of the driveway on our anniversary morning, heading to church I saw this:

I told Robert to stop and jumped out of the car...there, all over the north lawn were all these lovely swans filled with flowers and hearts and a huge sign reading...480 months of marital bliss...happy anniversary! This was Robert's so very sweet gift to me. Luckily a woman was walking her dog just at the moment and willingly snapped a picture for us.

As I looked around the garden at our lovely flowers, I realized Robert is finally realizing his dream of a yard filled with very colorful flowers and lots of fruits. We will have so many more fruits this year than vegetables. But it makes him happy. So for the record I keep and for your viewing pleasure, here's some of our plants.
I cannot tell you how excited I was to see these bloom. These are Lupines. We fell in love with them when we toured Prince Edward Island. Then I noticed my Aunt Ann Tanski had quite a garden full of them. She gave me some pods or plants but somehow not many of them took and i thought they were all lost. The last 2 years, all we got were the leaves, not buds. But suddenly, I looked out and saw the buds and am ecstatic. These are so graceful and lovely and bring such memories of my aunt, as well as PEI. I am hoping they continue to multiply and one day will need to be placed elsewhere...but for now I want them safe in this huge pot. Thanx Aunt Ann......

These above are Dutch Iris. Rebecca Stay shared some with us before she left. They seem to have increased in size substantially since we moved to 3830.

This is one of our 3 clymatis. The flowers get larger each year, also

My Jacks didn't do so well this year...perhaps because we had no winter.

White clymatis with lavender in front. I have a super cookie recipe using lavender which I might need to bake this summer....soon.

These are peonies. I say PEEEanies, but Bonpapa always called them peeOOOOnies. These are generations from the ones that used to be at Carol's old farmhouse in Grafton. When they moved to Strongsville, she gave us some to keep. We just keep transplanting. From Law Road, to 809 and now to 3830. On the west side of the house there are some, too, and next to the red hot pokers and the very purple clymatis, we have quite a color treat!

Aha! Again, the corpse plant has grown. I looked it up and I think our plant falls in the category of the Dragunculus Vulgaris. But there are going to be so many stinky, magnificient flowers this year (pictures to come later). This is the plant my mom had and waited and waited years for it to produce. I remember how excited she was to call us up to see the first bloom. Then she died and Bonpapa was removing things left and right in their garden so we transferred the tuber to 809. But it moved with us up here...and in the past 4 years, it blooms every single summer and this year has multiplied crazily. I think I counted 6 so far and just today I looked and realized there's another plant growing another bloom about 2' away from the main one. Robert says he might move it to the other side of the garden in the fall. Personally, I'd rather we took out the too old, too over grown bushes behind this and allow this to be amazing!

Top right are the raspberries, the front are 2 beds of strawberries, and along the fence line is boysenberries (not to mention huckleberries, black berries, blueberries and 2 other kinds of berries)

This is the newest...hydrangeas. Lovely!

Here is one of our old irises from 809. We didn't get so many last summer but they are settled down and are growing nicely this year.

Heucheras
And I should mention than many of these new ones came from Pettiti gift cards Robert received from his birthday from Jocelyn and Marissa and families...he was thrilled with this gift!

Another surprise this spring...the poppies decided to grow this year. I am becoming a fan of container gardening...that way I know what's where.

The west side of the house. Not such a good pix of the colors and the red hot pokers are pretty well spent...guess that comes from no winter, early early spring!

Heartleaf Bucheras

And finally I told Robert it was time he stop the Saturday gardening/yard fixin' up and come in and get ready for our big night on the town. He just came behind me, saw the picture below and commented, "just like Daddy Frank"...his father...and then out comes this story:

I remember when I was about 10 and had a one speed, hand-me-down junker bike. So I road it for several years and got over that phase. I was about 15 and we were cleaning out the back of the house. There sat that bike, totally unrideable. I said, "Dad, let's just get rid of this piece of junk." And he said, "No, when you've been through the depression you don't through anything away. You might need it some day. It's still good." And a few days ago, it reminded me of the Motobecane (French bicycle, of course) that Susan bought me at Jaime's flea market for my birthday decades ago, which is no longer in rideable condition but I am still saving it. "Some Day, Alice! Why I oughta!"

2 comments:

how fun, you have a legacy garden. loved the frank c story...I remember him well-a sweet man. So is Robert. congrats on 40 years. We are having our 19th year this June! I'll never make it to 50 in this life...lol!